Table selection - Winning vs Improving

Interested to get people’s thoughts on table selection and the right approach to developing your play.

I find I’m a decent winning player at the stakes I play, however I feel that a lot of my results come down to table selection. Even as I move up the stakes there are fish who will donate their stack to me when I set mine or draw out a straight/flush, and finding these players / spots I feel is where much of my success has come.

Maybe I’m overly hard on myself but I do wonder whether I’m not developing as much given I will get up and leave tough aggressive tables and find a new one with soft opponents - or is doing so just a large part of the game and what most winning players do?

I think that the selection of tables is a good strategy and it should never be reproachable that the games are accompanied by chosen players. Personally I consider that observation is one of the best tools to move forward. And I refer specifically to the observation of the players that we have in mind, to face them. Because in reality the serious players will do the same, therefore this is based on an exchange of continuous observation. As long as we are the protagonists they will study us and this should happen in reverse as well.
Greetings.

I wouldn't worry about it much to be honest. I would just focus on whatever is giving you trouble and continue to print the easy money. Eventually you'll reach a stake level where you will be forced to adjust. Then you will have a decision to make. Go back to where you can fleece the fish or improve your game so you can play higher stakes. It can be tough to compare the upside of moving up once you hit a rough spot since win rates are so hard to quantify without tons of hands but you can always move back down and grind the roll back up if things go south. It could actually hurt your win rate to play "GTO" or theoretically sound poker against fish, so in my opinion keep studying and improve as you go but stay with what is working. There's no extra bonus for sitting in tough games to prove something to yourself. Unless you are getting ready for some event on a certain date and feel you need to accelerate your learning curve I wouldn't change a winning strategy.

Coming down to bankroll management, you'll eventually build up enough to move up to the next stakes comfortably. Once you do that you'll play against better players and that's where you'll really see an improvement in your game.

I'd always prioritise an easier table. You can always learn even against micro players these days as many are competent.

Look at it another way, you can invest the extra profits or savings into tools that will help you learn better.

Mercurius said:

or is doing so just a large part of the game and what most winning players do?

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I think so. Poker is different from professional sports in the sense, that even the best players dont earn money from playing against each other. Why do you think, so many western pros moved to Macau? Its because, this gave them an opportunity to play against rich chinese businessmen.

I agree with everyone who says you should continue to fleece fish. That is literally what this game is all about. The only reason people follow GTO at higher stakes is because the games are not beatable without this. If the tables were full of 50/20/5 fish, then no way in hell any of the high stakes pros would bother to adjust. Poker is, at the end of the day, all about winning money. That's the only aim of the game. My only strategy at 25nl and any stakes below that I play, is to hunt fish, same as you. If the table is tough I simply move tables. What's the point grinding out 50k hands for $0 profit against regs. Hunt the fish relentlessly.

If you make so much that you move up to midstakes, then that's a nice decision to have. Do you improve, or fleece fish. That is up to you, but worry about it when you get there In the mean time, enjoy the free money.

Yeah it is very profitable if you are good in finding and catching fish.But don't turn this into wondering game.For example you sit at the table and in that table is no fish by your opinion so you move to the next but there is the same story.so you are now turned six or seven tables and there is no fish.Do you call it enough for the day or your only goal is profit?Also don't allow that the stakes deceive you,there are also rich fish at the high stakes.

If the game brings you pleasure and you play in+, then why do you need to look for something else, play your game and you will be the best of all who are present at the table.